Originally Posted by kane

It is very simple.

There are a few different types of people who want these kinds of guns.

1. Collectors. While there are gun collectors out there, there aren't that many of them so this isn't a big segment of the population. I would also lump those who enjoy target shooting into this category. There are people that enjoy doing that, but they make up a pretty small segment of gun owners.

2. Home Defense. People are not realist. Math doesn't lie. For every time a gun is used in self-defense in the home, there are 7 assaults or murders, 11 suicide attempts, and 4 accidents involving guns in or around a home. People read the story that goes viral about the 13-year-old girl who got her dad's gun and fought off home invaders and they shit themselves with gun pride and run out and get a rifle. The odds are much higher that the girl comes home a few minutes later and walks in on the robbery and potentially gets killed, but people don't want to hear that. They fell safe knowing they is an AR in the closet.

3. Crazy people. I don't mean this in the sense of people who are really, legitimately, mentally ill. I mean it in the sense of those people who think the government is going to declare marshal law or there will be some kind invasion and they will have to load up and fight for their freedom. Of course, that isn't going to happen, but they want to be ready just in case. More realistically is that a major natural disaster hits and leaves a place without water, electricity etc for an extended period of time and that creates unrest that a person might need to defend themselves against.

I have no problem with people owning guns. I own one. I just wish people were more realistic about why they own them and understood that if they have a gun because they are afraid, they need to fix shit in their life so they aren't living in fear because a gun isn't going to change that, it is just going to make someone who is scared and armed.